


come, lovers of dark corners

by blackkat



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Dads in Love, Flirting, Halloween, Humor, M/M, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 06:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21239504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: Zabuza should know by now that there's no such thing as a quiet Halloween when idiot college students have access to dark rituals. Kagami was just hoping to talk his hot neighbor into bed. He definitely didn't sign up for zombies.





	come, lovers of dark corners

**Author's Note:**

  * For [squigglylines](https://archiveofourown.org/users/squigglylines/gifts).

> For the Halloween gift exchange on my discord! My recipient was the ever-lovely Squiglylines. Hope you like it, Squigs!

“If you egg the house, you’re scrubbing it off the roof with a toothbrush,” Zabuza says, and tightens Haku's scarf around his neck. The sun’s out, but there’s a wind picking up, full of a midnight chill.

“I wouldn’t,” Haku says, offended, like Zabuza didn’t hear him and Naruto whispering to each other all yesterday. Pulling back, he levels a deeply skeptical look at Haku, who flushes faintly, and then says, “Not to _our_ house.”

With a snort, Zabuza drops a hand on top of his head and shoves him lightly. “Got money?” he asks. “ID, hormones, waiver denying my relationship to you if the cops pick you up?”

“Do you think you’ll survive the night without me?” Haku returns sweetly. “I could call every few hours if you think you’ll get too lonely, or if the ghosts will scare you.”

“Don’t you dare. My one night free of you is _mine_.” Zabuza hands him his bag, and is promptly almost knocked off his feet by a blur of yellow and orange that shoots past him to all but tackle Haku. Without pause, Naruto hauls Haku on towards the doors of the school, chattering like breathing is a thing that happens to other people, and Haku manages one brief wave over his shoulder before they’re both hurrying up the stairs and disappearing into the building.

“Monsters,” Zabuza mutters, more amused than anything else, and turns towards the shops a block down. Their house is far enough back from any lighted streets that trick-or-treaters don’t generally stop, and with Haku spending the night at Naruto's and no call into work, Zabuza has no plans to participate in the holiday. He’s going to get himself a bottle of wine, a nice steak, and put on a mindless action movie, and take advantage of not having to think about anyone else for a night. Adopting Haku the minute he turned eighteen isn’t something he’s ever going to regret, but—well. A quiet night’s nice, once in a while.

By the time he’s run his errands, paid a few bills, and collected some packages, it’s midmorning, and Zabuza feels mildly less frostbitten, even if the wind’s still strong. Bright leaves spin across the sidewalk as he makes his way down his street, skittering and crackling over the ground, and a half-transparent woman in a gauzy veil smiles sadly at Zabuza as she glides past, blown like the leaves on the wind. Zabuza nods back, then pushes through the rickety gate into their yard, reminding himself yet again to fix the wobbly hinge. It’s coming loose from the post, and there are a couple of places where the fence needs replacing, but he’s been too busy to get to it. Today would be a good day, since he’s off, but that would require a trip to the hardware store, the complete surrender of his day to the project, and Zabuza’s stubborn enough to want to keep one lazy day all to himself.

He’s just searching for his keys, balancing groceries and boxes on one arm, when the neighbor’s front door slams, loud and sudden enough to make him twitch. Before he can even start to turn, though, it opens again, bangs shut, and a voice says, “—doesn’t _look_ like you’re sick, Shisui. I'm not stupid­—”

“Just _insufferable_,” Shisui bites back. “Dad, I'm taking _one_ day off, it’s fine—”

“Shisui!” Zabuza’s neighbor says, aggrieved. “I don’t actually _care_ that you're not going to school, I just care that you lied—”

“You said I couldn’t go to Hana's party­—”

“Last time you went to one of them you got _arrested_!”

“The charges were dropped!”

“That—that’s so very clearly _not the point_!”

Zabuza winces. Generally Kagami’s a pretty easygoing guy, but his son’s been in the middle of some righteous teenage angst the last few months, and the arguments have started gaining volume and frequency. Dropping his boxes, he turns in time to watch Shisui storm out of the yard and down the street, Kagami coming to a sharp stop at the edge of the lawn. Blowing out a breath, he drags a hand though his curly dark hair, then shakes his head. Turns, spots Zabuza, and sighs, crossing to the fence.

“Sorry about that,” he says sheepishly. “I swear I'm not actually _trying_ to drag the rest of the neighborhood into things.”

Zabuza snorts, letting his bags slide down as well, and leans on the porch railing, folding his arms against the sun-warmed wood. “Nah,” he says, smirking. “Figure it’s a good playbook for what’s headed for me, once Haku hits that age.”

“I hope not, for your sake,” Kagami says wryly, but he smiles at Zabuza even so. “I guess Haku's old enough now that you don’t need to take him trick-or-treating?”

“It I tried, he’d probably put a snake in my bed,” Zabuza mutters. “He’s going out with a bunch of friends tonight. I figure I can at least get a few hours of sleep before the cops drag him home.”

Kagami laughs, and Zabuza likes looking at his face a little too much to be neighborly. _Especially_ when he’s happy. Kagami is a small man, leanly muscled, and it’s maybe possible that Zabuza’s watched closely when he’s taken his shirt off before, but that’s probably reasonable, given how long it’s been since Zabuza last had a date. Haku usually runs most of them off within the first hour.

“At least he’s not going to a house party,” Kagami says, glancing after Shisui's retreating form with a sigh. He doesn’t try to go after him, though, just settles against the fence. “Or lying to you. If I hadn’t gotten off early, I wouldn’t even have known.”

“He’ll grow out of it,” Zabuza says, though it’s not as if he has any personal experience. He was on the street when he was Shisui's age, parents long dead, and a year later he had Haku. There wasn’t a lot of forgiveness to that learning curve.

“I hope so.” Kagami tugs at his curls, then sighs and straightens, offering Zabuza another smile. “Off today, then? Getting ready for a party of your own?”

Zabuza scoffs. “A party on my couch,” he says. “Haku's off, so I'm going to drink out of the orange juice carton, turn on loud music, and put my feet up on all the tables.”

Kagami laughs, sounding delighted. “Living like a teenager?” he teases. “That sounds nice.”

Maybe it’s the redness that the wind lends to Kagami’s cheeks. Maybe it’s his smile. Maybe it’s the fact that Zabuza’s been very careful to take off his shirt whenever he’s done home projects anywhere Kagami might glance over and see him, all for apparently nothing, and the chance to try something more hands-on is too tempting to pass up. But regardless of what inspires it, Zabuza tips his head towards the door, and says, “I was going to order sandwiches for lunch. Want one?”

Kagami’s eyes widen faintly, and a second later his expression splits into a bright smile. “You don’t mind?” he asks.

“Adult conversation for once? Fuck no.” Zabuza turns back to collects his groceries as Kagami vaults over the low fence in a deft motion, then unlocks the door and pushes it open. “If you're waiting for Shisui, though—”

“Shisui can stew for a while,” Kagami says determinedly, following him into the small house. “Where are you ordering from?”

There are herbs hanging all over Zabuza’s kitchen.

Kagami isn't sure why he’s so charmed by this, but he is. Maybe it’s the air of hominess it gives the place, or maybe it’s the herbal, earthy scent, or maybe it’s even the completely unconcerned way Zabuza pushes a few bundles aside to get to the mugs, like this is his natural habitat. There’s a mortar and pestle, too, heavy stone, and a large pot that’s steaming faintly, putting off the smell of peppermint and chamomile.

“You must do a lot of cooking,” he says, leaning back against one of the counters. Vaguely, he wishes he’d had time to change into something nicer than his uniform, which probably still smells faintly from a patient who’d puked all over the ambulance. He’d showered afterwards, and changed, but—some things are hard to escape. Still, Zabuza hasn’t run screaming yet, so that’s probably a good sign.

Or he’s just a nice neighbor, and Kagami is _really_ barking up the wrong tree.

“Yeah,” Zabuza says, distracted as he looks for something. “Haku's on a health kick, and it’s easier to play along. Fuck, do I miss takeout sometimes, though.”

Kagami’s thought it before, that there can't be much of an age difference between Zabuza and his son. He hasn’t ever heard Haku call Zabuza _dad_, either, which is odd considering how close they are. It’s none of his business, though, and he firmly stamps down on his curiosity, distracts himself by glancing at the breadth of Zabuza’s shoulders beneath his sweater. The sweater’s kind of awful—Kagami is almost certain that’s cow print, with a pinstripe shirt underneath—but the shoulders are nice. Kagami’s seen them in _far_ too much detail all summer; Zabuza’s handy around the house, and works in the yard a lot, and Kagami may or may not have hovered at one of the upstairs windows for three hours straight last time he was building a shelf.

“Your secret’s safe with me, I promise,” he says, and smiles in thanks when Zabuza turns to offer him a menu. “I’ve got the opposite problem—Shisui would live on fast food and soda if I didn’t force-feed him vegetables every once in a while. Some real food will be nice for a change.”

Zabuza snorts, crossing his arms over his chest, and Kagami really, _really_ hopes he’s not staring too obviously at the way Zabuza’s arms show very, _very_ clearly that he’s used to manual labor. “We should shove our kids together more often,” he says dryly. “Maybe they’ll rub off on each other instead of on us.”

With a laugh, Kagami sets the menu aside. “Can we handle that much teenage angst?” he jokes. “I'm barely surviving Shisui alone.”

“We could always take them camping,” Zabuza says, and the curl of his smirk is devious and far too appealing. “Way up in the woods, with no reception and a lot of bugs.”

Shisui would die. Or dramatically faint. Kagami laughs, more than able to picture it, and gives Zabuza a grin. “We _should_,” he says. “It’s probably not too cold yet, right?”

“Not down by the coast,” Zabuza says with a shrug. “There are a few swamps down there that are fun to hike, anyway.”

_Fun_ is probably subjective, but Kagami is willing to try, if only for Shisui's offended expression and the sight of Zabuza in a tank top. “I’m game,” he says cheerfully. “Just let me know when. Shisui's about to go off to college, so I can sell it as bonding time and he can't argue.”

“Devious,” Zabuza says, and it sounds like he approves. “I’ve got a week off coming up, so just tell me when you're free.”

“Definitely.” Kagami smiles at him, and wonders if he can take a step closer, if Zabuza meant his invitation the way it sounded. The house is warm, cozy; it feels like its own world, tucked away from the outside, and it’s giving him _thoughts_. A few too many thoughts, maybe, but—

Zabuza’s watching him, and his face is all angles, sharp planes and a startlingly soft mouth, and something in Kagami’s chest turns over. He reaches out before he can stop himself, gets his fingers around Zabuza’s wrist—

Someone knocks loudly, echoing through the house.

Kagami freezes, startled. Zabuza freezes, too, and his expression twists into something deeply displeased. “God _damn_ it,” he says flatly, and casts a shadowed look at Kagami. “Hold that thought.”

Oh. Kagami swallows, because apparently that touch was fine, apparently he can _continue_. It makes his heart trip over itself just a little, and he nods, not able to manage words. Giving him an intent look, Zabuza brushes past, heading for the door, and Kagami takes a half-step to the side to watch him go.

“What?” Zabuza bites out, wrenching the door open. “This had better—oh. It’s you.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed, that’s rude,” the kind of bewilderingly beautiful woman on his doorstep says, crossing her arms under her breasts. Her hair is a mane of auburn around her, almost the same color as the maple leaves on the tree between their yards. “I’ve been calling you all morning, why isn't your phone on?”

“Because it’s my _day off_,” Zabuza snaps. “What the hell do you want, Mei?”

“_Want_? A bath, a bottle of champagne, a massage, and a hot woman who can screw me silly, preferably in that order,” Mei retorts. Now that Kagami is looking, she’s…dirty. Honestly kind of filthy. The hems and knees of her jeans are black with dirt, and there are smears of it across her coat. Something suspiciously red and dark is dripping from her sleeve, and Kagami feels a flare of alarm, takes two steps forward before he can help it.

Green eyes flicker past Zabuza, slide right to Kagami, and Mei pauses. Her mouth twists, rueful, but she looks back at Zabuza and says, “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need you, idiot.”

“Charming,” Zabuza retorts, but he sighs and steps back from the door. “What is it this time?”

“Some _absolute moron_ decided to use a black ritual to raise the local graveyards,” Mei says, all but dripping scorn. “I’ve put about half of them back so far, but as soon as it starts getting dark, I'm going to be out of luck. Get your sword.”

“What,” Kagami says blankly. He tries to process those words, turns them around, looks at them from another angle, but—that still sounds like they're talking about _zombies_. “I—graveyards? Sword? Zabuza, what—”

“I—” Zabuza starts, but before he can even turn to fully face Kagami, Mei cries out. She spins, and like spontaneous combustion, her hands are suddenly _on fire_, glowing even in the sunlight. She lashes out, and—and _something_ goes spilling down the porch steps, a dark, twisted shape that brings a surge of burning flesh-smell with it. Kagami gags, recoiling, but the thing goes up in flames in an instant, and its ragged moans makes all of Kagami’s hair stand on end.

“Fuck,” Zabuza says, and bolts back into the house, leaving the door wide open. Through the gap, Kagami can see three more dark shapes converging on the porch, too fast, too smooth. Humans don’t _move_ like that. And he’s been a paramedic long enough to know that people missing their arms don’t just run around like nothing’s happened.

“What the _hell_,” he breathes.

Ducking into the house, Mei throws the door shut and locks it, half a second before something heavy impacts the other side. “Whoops,” she says lightly, and tosses Kagami a wink. “Didn’t mean to interrupt, sweetheart, but I like to make Zabuza earn his keep every once in a while.”

“Earn my _keep_?” Zabuza demands from above their heads. “_My_ keep? You told me it was going to be a quiet Halloween!”

Mei blows a strand of hair out of her eyes, breezing past Kagami to the kitchen, where she starts grabbing bundles of herbs off their hooks. “Don’t yell at _me_, I was just as surprised as you. Ashura swore to me that he couldn’t feel any darkness brewing—”

“Ashura is a _hack_—”

“Ashura is the best seer on earth, shut your mouth. If he didn’t sense this brewing, it means it’s not part of some big evil plan, so don’t whine.”

“I had _plans_,” Zabuza snaps, and footsteps on the stairs make Kagami look up, only to have his breath catch in his throat. Zabuza’s lost the terrible sweater, dressed instead in a leather jacket that Kagami’s very definitely never seen before. If he had, it would have already featured in a hell of a lot of his fantasies.

He’s also carrying a sword, though. A _big_ sword, with a wide black blade and a strange shimmer to the air around it, like a heat haze.

“Your plans will be around to fuck you later,” Mei says, and shoves a bundle of something into Kagami’s hands as she passes. “You, can you run? If they caught a whiff of you in here, it’s not safe for you to go home.”

“_What_?” Kagami says again, helplessly. “I—is this some kind of roleplay? A Halloween skit? What is _happening_?”

“Zombies,” Zabuza says with a grimace. He pauses next to Kagami for a minute, expression conflicted, and then says, “I wouldn’t have gotten you involved if I’d known.”

“That’s okay,” Kagami says a little weakly. He swallows, and—

Mei's hands were on _fire_. She turned that dark thing into a charcoal briquette with a gesture, and Kagami _knows_ he didn’t see her use a flamethrower, or even a _match_.

“Magic,” he says, bewildered.

Zabuza’s grin is all teeth. “Magic,” he confirms. “You didn’t already know? There are wards all around your house.”

“Wards?” Kagami blinks, and realization hits hard. “My nephew Obito is pagan, he likes rituals like that, but—it’s not _real_.”

Zabuza scoffs. “You should tell him that, because those are some of the nastiest wards I've ever seen. Whatever god he follows, it’s not a nice one.” He pauses, looking at Kagami, and says, “You should probably go home. Those wards will keep you safe. We can take a rain check.”

Kagami looks over at Mei, who’s watching them quietly. She’s still bleeding from underneath the sleeve of her own leather jacket, drops of it falling to the floor, and—

Those things out there are dead. Zombies, or something like that. They’re out in the _streets_, where little kids will be trick-or-treating later.

Kagami’s a paramedic. He’s supposed to help people.

“Show me how to help,” he says, and meets Zabuza’s brown eyes. “I’ve taken kendo, and I'm a paramedic. I'm not helpless.”

Zabuza pauses, trades glances with Mei. She just tips one shoulder in a shrug, and says breezily, “Ashura’s looking for the source, and Ao and Asuma are playing guard for him. We could use the extra hands.”

With a grimace, Zabuza shoulders his sword. “Fine. Kagami, you got a blade?”

Only bamboo, Kagami opens his mouth to say, and then pauses. Obito gave him a real katana years ago, didn’t he? He put it away in a closet somewhere, because Shisui was ten at the time, but—he still has it, certainly.

“Yeah,” he says, and grins. “I think I do.”

It’s a little gratifying to see the way Zabuza’s breath catches, the way his gaze flickers right to Kagami’s mouth. “Good,” he says a little gruffly, and then leans in.

Kagami sees it coming, catches Zabuza’s sharp jaw and pulls him the rest of the way in. Kisses Zabuza back, slow and careful and so very relieved, bewildered but—

Glad, a little. Glad to see a side of Zabuza that he hasn’t before, glad for the trust, glad for this, the soft sound Zabuza makes when Kagami slides a hand over his bare nape and tightens his grip just a little.

“You can save fucking up against the wall for the magical blowback when we put them down,” Mei says, somewhere between amused and annoyed. “Zabuza, how long will that door hold?”

With a growl that makes Kagami's skin prickle pleasantly, Zabuza draws back. “Long enough for us to get out the back and take them by surprise,” he says. “And shut the hell up, us having sex was a mistake.”

Mei laughs, low and throaty and wicked. “You're just offended by how sore I left you,” she says, and gives Kagami a smirk as she passes. “He tried so hard to keep up, the poor thing.”

“Fucking _witch_,” Zabuza snaps.

“Sorceress,” Mei counters instantly. “And raise a mist already, we don’t want these things getting on the five o’clock news.”

“Keep your pants on, it takes a minute.” Zabuza frowns, brow furrowing, and then lifts a hand. For a moment, it looks faded, foggy, and he slashes it down, breathes out in a swirl of grey, like misted breath.

Outside the windows, the bright day fades in a wash of fog, rising in billows from the ground. It curls past the windows in a moment, spreading, surging, and leaves everything pale and indistinct beyond the glass.

“Oh,” Kagami says, maybe a little breathlessly. Swallows, and—maybe a part of his brain is still stuck on the idea of Mei and Zabuza, both of them beautiful. On the idea that Mei's words bring, him and Zabuza up against the wall. He looks at Zabuza, at the stretch of the tank top across his chest, at the way he holds that huge sword so casually, and swallows. He’s had a hell of a lot of thoughts about Zabuza up against the wall, preferably moaning his name. and—that kiss says it’s maybe not entirely impossible.

“Blowback?” he asks, just to be sure.

Zabuza snorts, but his smile has an edge that makes Kagami shiver. “Better than an aphrodisiac,” he says, like it’s a promise. “The ritual bringing these things out of the ground is all misdirected life. We break it, we get the excess. Fucking it out’s one of the better ways to deal.” Pausing, he looks at Kagami, one quick sweep of his gaze. “Still on board?”

“I think I’ll survive.” Kagami can't help but laugh, pulling Zabuza down into another kiss.

Of course, that’s the moment a zombie breaks down the front door, but—

It’ll do.


End file.
